David knew for sure

1Chronicles 14:2 Then David knew for sure that God had confirmed him as king over Israel, because of the rising reputation that God was giving his kingdom for the benefit of his people Israel.

So here is David. He was anointed by Samuel as a young shepherd boy, too young to fight in the battles. He went to Saul, played for him, was betrayed by him, fought him, lived in exile for years, gradually built around him a huge force of skilled warriors and only came back to his native land when Saul and Jonathan had been killed. Then he became king over Judah, reigning in Hebron for 7 years, before he became king over all Israel. And only now, as he witnesses how he is viewed by the surrounding kings – King Hiram of Tyre has sent an envoy offering cedar, lumber, masons and carpenters to build him a royal palace – is he sure that God wanted him to be king.

Two thoughts come to mind in response to this. The first is: Wow, he did all that and he wasn’t even sure?! I don’t know about you, but I usually want my directives from God to be a lot clearer than that. “How do I know I’m on the right road?” usually means “Show me what’s going to happen.” But if we knew, if we were sure where everything was going, we wouldn’t need faith and trust in God, would we? We also might race ahead of ourselves, rushing to get to the “result” we think God wants, and not experience the road we are actually traveling on. David acted, he didn’t wait until he was sure, but he dealt with each situation as it came up, never getting ahead of himself. He knew if God wanted him to be king, God would bring it about in God’s own time; he refuses several opportunities to kill Saul and make it happen. When the Spirit nudges me in new directions, it just gives me hints of what the very next step might be – which may include taking no step at all, because maybe it is just time to stand still and be where I am. Then I start to get responses, synchronicities that start to inform my path, let me know that I’m headed right for now.

That brings me to the second thought, that our call is not just between us and God. It doesn’t mean just following what I have in my heart and mind and spirit. If it is a path that God has ordained for me, I will also receive confirmation from the community around me, in the form of support, positive reflections, encouragement, and perhaps witnessing the positive impact of whatever it is I am doing in people’s lives. It is this knitting together between the personal and the communal out of which true vocation comes. Too often, I think, we expect young people in our culture to go off into a closet and “figure out what they want to do” with their lives, or tell them what they should do. But that figuring out is really to become part of a conversation between them and the world around them. Where are their gifts encouraged and supported? Where does their “deep gladness meet the world’s deep hunger”? (Frederick Buechner) At that intersection, we find our life’s fulfillment.

Prayer: Dear God, You have blessed me with many gifts, skills and abilities. Be with me and guide me as I move into a new period of my life. Teach me to listen subtly to your call, but not to wait for it. Help me discern Your Presence in all that I do, that You may guide my feet to your path. Amen